1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dispensing equipment for soft serve confections and specifically to dispensing equipment for frozen cappuccino.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Soft serve confections are very popular, having expanded from the corner ice cream store. The soft serve confection business is now available in the corner convenience store. Many different types of frozen confections are now available, since the equipment to make and dispense is now readily available and can be placed on a counter where it is readily accessible to both the customer and the person responsible for maintaining and servicing the equipment.
The equipment currently used is well known, being in use for many years. While some modification and improvements have been made, the confection is maintained in the frozen state by a refrigeration unit contained within a central drum that is maintained at a preselected temperature below the freezing temperature of the fluid that is to be dispensed as frozen or semi-frozen product. As fluid is moved over the surface of the drum, the temperature is reduced below its freezing temperature, and the fluid crystallizes as a solid material on the drum surface. The crystalized soft material is removed from the surface of the drum by an auger that is activated by the user using an activation device, typically a handle that activates the auger my pulling the handle forward . The auger moves over the surface of the drum and scrapes or removes the frozen material from the drum surface while moving the material toward the dispensing assembly located below the handle. While this assembly is commonly used and works well with most liquids, the texture of the frozen product will be a function of the liquid that is frozen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,194 to Topper et al. recognized that the texture of the frozen product is important. This patent recognizes that certain viscous materials such as ice cream can have their texture degraded by repeated compression and decompression of the confection, causing undesirable ice crystals to form. These ice crystals degrade the taste and texture of the confection. To avoid the formation of ice crystals in the confection, Topper et al. moves the confection from a storage container through the refrigeration unit to the dispenser by minimizing the compression of the confection. While this solution is very effective for maintaining the texture of viscous materials that may form ice crystals as a result of repeated compression and decompression cycles, it does not provide a solution for liquids that form ice crystals as they are cooled below their freezing temperature on the drum of a refrigeration unit. One such liquid is cappuccino that is having increased popularity as a frozen confection.
Other examples of means for dispensing frozen product from similar refrigeration units are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,309 to Baron et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,744 to Sawyer, III. Sawyer, III discloses a bottled water dispenser that includes an ice maker and an ice crusher.
While certain confections have a smooth texture as they form a frozen concoction during refrigeration, other confections under certain conditions can and do from ice crystals that degrade the taste of the confection. What is needed is a simple, inexpensive device that can be easily fitted to existing frozen confection machines and that can minimize the effect of the crystallization process, forming a smooth confection that improves the taste of the confection.